22 May 2016
Double domestic double
As if winning a fifth straight Serie A title wasn’t enough history making for one season, the Bianconeri rewrote the record books again on Saturday evening with a Coppa Italia victory that saw them become the first ever team in Italy to win a domestic league and cup double in consecutive campaigns.
Throw into the mix last August’s Italian Super Cup triumph over Lazio and Juventus have lifted all three national trophies up for grabs this term.
Up for the cup
Last night’s victory saw the Old Lady claim the 11th Coppa Italia crown in her history – more than any other side – leaving her record in this end-of-season showpiece event at 11 wins from 16 appearances.
Milan’s record, meanwhile, stands at five successes in 11 finals, their last triumph trailing back to 2003 (against Roma).
The Bianconeri have now beaten the Rossoneri nine times in a row in all competitions in what is the longest ever winning streak over their northern rivals.
Extra-time info
This was, of course, the second season in a row in which Juve clinched the Coppa Italia in extra-time after Alessandro Matri’s match-winner in the 97th minute against Lazio last year.
Juve had even more history on their side going into the extra half-hour last night, having beaten Milan 2-1 in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals back in January 2013 courtesy of Mirko Vucinic’s 95th minute goal.
Complicated encounter
As Massimiliano Allegri admitted in his post-match comments, the Bianconeri had to weather a strong first-half from Milan before growing into the game after the interval.
Juventus had to wait until the 73rd minute before testing Rossoneri stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma (Stephan Lichtsteiner’s header), but they would go on to edge their opponents in terms of efforts on target over the 120 minutes (4 vs. 3).
Milan would enjoy a greater share of possession on the night and also produce more shots than Allegri’s men (20 vs. 11). Indeed, 11 players in red and black had attempts on goal, but only Mattia De Sciglio and Giacomo Bonaventura managed to warm the gloves of Neto.
Morata cup magic
Alvaro Morata’s love affair with the Coppa Italia received further confirmation after he netted the match-winner approximately two minutes after coming off the substitutes’ bench.
This was his third strike in the competition this term, more than any other Juventus player. The Spaniard had also set up two goals in previous rounds, whilst scoring twice in last season’s route to La Decima.
